Just tried soldering for the first time...what a disaster

[waterjug]

So on my car's cd player there's a cable attached to the fold-down plate that gets frayed over time. I researched it, and you can get the cable and just solder it on after you remove the old one. So the top half of this image is what the old one looked like, from the factory. The bottom one is after about an hour of me attempting to solder it. I've watched about 20 videos on how to solder....wtf man. I was heating up the metal, and then placing the flux on the heated up part, but it wasn't melting at all for some reason. So I'd get the tip of the iron back on the metal, with the flux right there, and it would melt...but it like....jumped. It liquefied, and went from the part I needed it to be on and sort of globbed everywhere. I tried pulling it off from where it was mistakenly congealing with the tip of the iron but that didn't work really. WTF did I do wrong? Completely blew a 500 dollar head unit

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

oh lawdy.

OP, I can't say anything... there's a reason why my first modchip (XBOX) was solderless

 

[Doppel]

It is a learned skill for sure. I've done a bit and it always looks like hell. It works, even though globbed and nasty, because I don't try intricate work like you did

 

[Elixer]

You can desolder that, and fix it... as for why.. what kind of iron did you use, what kind of solder ?

 

[waterjug]

You can desolder that, and fix it... as for why.. what kind of iron did you use, what kind of solder ?

A Weller SP40L (40W), with the solder that came in the kit.


To desolder do I just heat it back up and then like suck it off with a straw?

 

[BUTCH1]

You can desolder that, and fix it... as for why.. what kind of iron did you use, what kind of solder ?

Yea, get some de-soldering wick at RS and you can soak up all that and start over or maybe let someone else have a shot at it cause it looks like you don't have much of an idea of how to solder, sorry just going by the pics..

 

[LTC8K6]

Get a desolder tool to desolder it and start over.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062745

Get the solder liquid, and this will vacuum it clean off.

Weller makes one of these as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-7874B-Safe-Manual-Desoldering/dp/B000PDNOTQ

I have a couple different ones.

 

[waterjug]

Yea, get some de-soldering wick at RS and you can soak up all that and start over or maybe let someone else have a shot at it cause it looks like you don't have much of an idea of how to solder, sorry just going by the pics..

I don't think there's any question I have no clue how to solder. I'm usually pretty handy, and my dad used to solder stuff all the time, made it look easy.

 

[2timer]

I'm not going to be much help, because I've never done fine soldering before, but I believe the trick is, 1) you use a very thin solder, 2) I believe there is a special flux paste for small SMD jobs that helps the solder *stay on* the tiny pads. It's a clear liquid that all the pros apply before soldering, every one of the pros on YouTube uses it but I don't know what it is, unfortunately.

Like I said, I won't be much help

PS, honestly this was a bad choice for a first time job, even much larger components are hard when you first start soldering

 

[eldorado99]

soldering is definitely a learned skill, it is pretty easy to pick up though so if you practice a bit you will get good pretty quickly.

 

[radtechtips]

What size of solder did you use and one kind

 

[mrrman]

soldering is easy...Ive done mod chips on Xboxes, Wiis and PS2's....hot iron, good tips,good solder sucker and a head loop

 

[Turbonium]

I know next to nothing about soldering, but that looks like a hilariously terrible job you did there.

 

[Elixer]

For what it is worth, all soldering I have done for pcb electrical work was with a 15w iron. (I know a friend who buys the 15w iron from menards for $4 and that works out great for him) That is all it needs really, your not trying to solder pipes here. 40w is pretty darn hot used for very thick wires and things like that.
I usually use rosin core solder (60/40), and I do NOT use extra flux, since it has flux in it already.
If you are using lead free solder... ugh. I *hate* that stuff, and refuse to use it, and it is known to blob up like your pic if you aren't very careful.

You can get a copper wick to soak up the old solder, or one of those mini pumps, or, if you are really cheap, you can use a vacuum cleaner with the small crevice tool attached to it (you know that friend I mentioned before.. well, it works for him!).

I would also practice a bit more on some other old PCB you might have around the place... old radio/walkman/speakers, whatever.

 

[phucheneh]

Heh...that is not how to start soldering.

I know people that can [supposedly] solder who can't join two wires together properly.

...start with making sure you've got that down. Then maybe easy PCB connections. Like capacitors or other parts with two or three legs that are not super close.

I personally solder all the time, and I generally do not attempt multi-pin connections like that. Then again, most of my soldering is done with butane. Immediately after soldering the connection, the reflexive next step is to blow out the flaming plastic...

edit: also, those solder joints are often VERY hard to melt, so in addition to a steady hand and careful solder application, you have to localize and meter your heat properly. I believe there are a number of reasons for the solder not wanting to melt. One that's easily demonstrated is that already-melted solder (flux is gone) does not re-melt as easily. Two is the more 'environmentally friendly' solders that are now common; IIRC your typical 60/40 lead/tin melts at a way lower point than lead-free. I think that was one of the many problems MS had with the Xbox360. There could also be a coating over the finished PCB (doesn't look like it in this case).

 

[The Boston Dangler]

40W weller and the included tip should be good for 99% of your soldering needs. off the top of my head, you'll need (this stuff is all pretty cheap) :

rosin-core solder (it has flux in the middle)
solder wick
small can/jar of flux (for cleaning)
small brass brush
solder suckers are for very small components/pads, so i haven't bothered with 1 yet. the wick should be good enough.

i hate using a sponge, so i use an iron cleaner like this -

it also should have a weak flux in it.

step 1: get that iron HOT before doing anything with it
step 2: get everything clean as a whistle - iron, contacts and wires
step 3: tin the wires, tin the contacts and then solder the 2 together

how to tin:
put a small bit of solder on the tip, then bring it to the underside of the prepped wire. the small blob will conduct heat into the wire, so you can apply a bit more solder to the top of the hot wire. the perfect amount will leave just a coating with the shape of each strand still visible. it looks like magic!

how to remove your blob:
pull out about 3 inches of wick, preheat the blob, then lay the wick on the blob (1 spot at a time) and apply the iron to the wick. you might need to use a very small bit of solder on the wick to transfer heat.

it's key to work quickly, to maintain the tip temperature and to avoid overheating components. sacrifice a couple feet of wire to practice your technique, and get some ventilation going.

 

[Rumpltzer]

A Weller SP40L (40W), with the solder that came in the kit.


To desolder do I just heat it back up and then like suck it off with a straw?

Don't use a desoldering tool or solder wick. Please heat it up and suck it off with a straw.

Post pics... video would be even better.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Tip: Dismantle an old broken piece of electronics, perferably something with different size stuff on the board(s). Take the soldering iron and tin and start practicing.

You don't want to practice on expensive equipment, so to make sure you don't ruin it practice on junk you'll throw away afterwards.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Haha first time I soldered it was bad too. I ended up making lot of potential BB gun ammo more than making things stick together.

Practice makes perfect though. Now it's pretty much second nature, I don't call myself an expert though, I would not be good enough to solder cpu pins or anything that precise but I can splice ethernet wire quite easily and solder it. Use it for control circuits and stuff where it's very low current.

 

[Linflas]

I learned on Heathkits, too bad there isn't something like that still around.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Depending on the part, it is WAY easier to heat the contact with the soldering iron and then touch the solder to the contact. This will cause the solder to flow directly onto the contact rather than having it melt on the tip of the soldering iron, and then trying to direct that onto the area.

Unfortunately, this doesn't work for any parts that are highly heat-sensitive. I mean, you don't want to leave the soldering iron on any contact for more than a second anyway, but for some stuff that's more than enough to fry the chip.

 

[waterjug]

For what it is worth, all soldering I have done for pcb electrical work was with a 15w iron. (I know a friend who buys the 15w iron from menards for $4 and that works out great for him) That is all it needs really, your not trying to solder pipes here. 40w is pretty darn hot used for very thick wires and things like that.
I usually use rosin core solder (60/40), and I do NOT use extra flux, since it has flux in it already.
If you are using lead free solder... ugh. I *hate* that stuff, and refuse to use it, and it is known to blob up like your pic if you aren't very careful.

You can get a copper wick to soak up the old solder, or one of those mini pumps, or, if you are really cheap, you can use a vacuum cleaner with the small crevice tool attached to it (you know that friend I mentioned before.. well, it works for him!).

I would also practice a bit more on some other old PCB you might have around the place... old radio/walkman/speakers, whatever.

yeah, this was nickel solder, no lead or anything in it, was pretty thick too. Crap.

 

[unokitty]

I learned on Heathkits, too bad there isn't something like that still around.

++

Soldering is a craft. You learn it by doing it.

Heathkit used to market an economical "Learn to Solder Kit." They did a lot of things like that. They even had a kit where you made your own circuit board...

Full disclosure. I used to work for Heathkit/Zenith.

Uno

 

[wirednuts]

I would not be good enough to solder cpu pins or anything that precise but I can splice ethernet wire quite easily and solder it.

shhhh. there are TDR nuts out there that will freak out if they hear of anyone soldering ethernet cables. they would rather have you use mechanical splices that create more noise for some reason..

 

[rsutoratosu]

exactly why i dont do mine.. lol... i prob end up the same..